AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 68

I wanted a Howard that goes as fast as a Baron, and now I’ve got one.” In addition to paint, Dickenson also has yet to add the Garmin GNS420, autopilot, yaw damper, and oxygen system. The airplane is wired and plumbed for them, but the items are on hold. “I’ve deferred those things for purely economic reasons,” he said. “I’ll get them eventually. But the airplane can fly without them— and I really enjoying the flying.” Abdominal workout Two things jump out during a preflight inspection of the DGA–21: the superior quality of its workmanship and the audacity of its design. The airplane’s imposing size, muscular frame, hulking engine, gleaming two-blade prop, and impossibly short and thin wings convey refined ferocity. It puts an abundance of speed and power in the pilot’s hands, and it will require skill and proper technique to keep those forces in balance. The single access door is on the right side of the aircraft behind the strut. You climb aboard via a metal step and walk uphill to the cockpit. Two roomy seats there provide plenty of comfort, but the extreme nose-high attitude and lack of

forward visibility make it anything but relaxing. Dickenson flew from the left seat and I observed from the right during two hour-long flights: an aircraft demonstration and then a photo flight. Engine start is standard, and taxiing in the busy general aviation airport’s tight confines requires constant S-turning. Engine runup is normal, but warming the R-1340’s 10 gallons of oil takes several minutes at relatively high power, and the throaty sound of the short exhaust pipes hints at the maelstrom to come. Once aligned with the runway, Dickenson smoothly applied full power, and a combination of rapid acceleration and the reclined seating position provided a short but vigorous abdominal workout. It felt like trying to do sit ups with a heavy weight on your chest. At about 40 mph, Dickenson added forward pressure on the steering column to raise the tail, and the airplane lifted off at about 70 mph after a ground roll of about 1,200 feet. The airplane accelerated to 140 mph at the departure end of the 2,700-foot strip and Dickenson began a shallow left turn in accordance with local procedures to follow the contours of the Santa Clara River. The left turn is for noise abatement, but that term is a bit of

a joke with the DGA–21 because its characteristic roar can be heard for miles. During a 140-mph cruise climb, the DGA–21 gained altitude at more than 1,500 feet per minute, and the full-power fuel consumption rate was a ravenous 58 gallons an hour. At 5,000 feet, Dickenson reduced the power to 28 inches of manifold pressure and 2,000 rpm, and the airplane settled into an easy 180-mph cruise at 28.5 gph. Pitch trim is controlled via a crank handle on the cockpit ceiling, and the relatively heavy elevator and wide speed range make spinning the trim handle an almost constant task. Control forces are relatively heavy and well balanced, and despite the complete lack of wing dihedral, the airplane has a strong tendency to return to level flight when disturbed. “It’s not a Pitts so the control forces aren’t light,” Dickenson said. “It’s a very stable airplane in pitch, roll, and yaw, and that’s what I was going for. To me, the control harmony is absolutely delightful.” Unaccelerated stalls occur at 64 mph with flaps down and 67 mph clean and are preceded by mild airframe buffeting followed by a crisp, wings-level break. Even without a yaw damper, adverse yaw is almost nonexistent at cruise speeds.

“Throughout this whole process, I never doubted

AOPA PILOT •

68 • MARCH 2011

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2011

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